Business Associates
by Kijzar
Summary: Kagome and Sesshomaru have been dating for 7 years, but Kagome is tired of their passionless arrangement. She wants a man who will love and support her and her dreams. She ends their relationship and heart break ensues. Will he just let her go? Can they settle their differences? This is AU, rated MA for lemons. Some charc ooc. Pic cred to lord sesshomaru of intsanonymous.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! Here's chapter one of my new story. I will try to update as often as possible! Please review and let me know if you like it so far!**_

_**Picture credit for the cover goes to: **_lord . Sesshomaru of instanonymous

_**Disclaimer: **_I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!

* * *

Kagome had endured enough. She was done. She'd put up with seven years of his attitude, and she'd finally had enough. They'd been together since the beginning of her junior year. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

…

Her mother had come to her on a Saturday morning with two cups of tea in her hands. She gave one to Kagome and sat across from her with hesitation showing on her face. Kagome sat silently, waiting for what her mother was going to say.

"I have been speaking with Mr. Taisho. You're friends with his son, Sesshomaru correct?"

Kagome nodded nervously.

"We've been discussing and we were _hoping _that you two would consider a relationship. We all believe it would be beneficial to all parties included. I would like to make it very clear that this is _not _an arranged marriage and that you _can _say no at any time. So can he, for that matter. All we are asking, is that you two give it a try."

Kagome stared at her mother with her mouth gaping open. She'd barely ever dated before, especially because she was friends with Sesshomaru and nearly every boy that liked her was terrified of him. She didn't mind too much, though because she had a massive crush on him, and had since they'd met. She'd shoved it aside, though, because she knew that he'd never want her that way. She'd been content to be friends with him, though watching him go out on the occasional date did make her heart blacken with jealousy.

She mulled it over in her head. She could definitely attempt to have a relationship with him, it was Sesshomaru that would be the problem. She was certain he'd never want her, and that he'd never consent to a mating with her. She wouldn't consign herself to a life of misery in an empty marriage or mating. She just couldn't. She'd have to play it by ear, and ask him how he felt about it.

That afternoon, Sesshomaru had come over to study, as planned. They usually spent every Saturday studying together, but that day was different. She'd seen the stress in his shoulders and that he was hiding a scowl. She'd noticed the nervous way he'd moved his eyes, it wasn't fluid like normal. She'd waved him up to her bedroom and the moment she'd closed the door, she turned on him.

"Listen, Sesshomaru. My mom talked to me and I just want you to know, you do _not _have to do this. If you want to see where this goes, we can go on a date. If you want to draw the line in the sand, we can just pretend this never happened. It's up to you."

He glanced at her momentarily, and she saw the indecision in his gaze.

"Kagome, what do you want to do?" His voice was strangled and she could tell he was battling with himself.

She sighed, "I would like to try. See where it goes. Maybe it would work out."

She watched as some of his intensity melted and he visibly relaxed. He nodded once.

"We can give it a try, but I would like to continue our friendship if this doesn't work out."

Kagome laughed internally, _no way in hell would that work out. _She knew him well enough to know he'd be awkward and she knew herself enough to know that she would be too heartbroken to continue being friends with him. She nodded anyway, knowing that he wouldn't agree to it unless she put his mind at ease.

…

Seven years later, and she was finally seeing how big of a mistake they'd made. He'd done well as a boyfriend through the rest of high school. Somehow, though, they always ran into trouble. He'd find her talking to a boy about notes for a test and he'd become cold and scare the kid off. After which he'd give her the silent treatment for a few days before resuming life as if nothing had ever happened. Things like that happened often. He'd take her out on pre-planned dates and he didn't kiss her until the end of their senior year.

At the time, Kagome hadn't thought it was odd, she'd just thought he was taking it slow. Throughout college, though, she realized that he only interacted with her physically, when the situation demanded it. Their physical relationship followed a timeline. He'd give her a quick, chaste kiss after a date, and after nearly four years of dating, she'd finally given him her virginity. She'd been wanting to give herself to him for years, but he always kept a barrier between them and only took her out at scheduled times.

She pondered over the night she lost her virginity, with fresh eyes. He'd invited her over for dinner and once the meal was done, he had told her that she should stay the night. She'd thought, at the time, that he was being spontaneous, but looking back at it, she realized that it was too calculated. He'd said something along the lines of 'it's time'. As if he'd been waiting a certain amount of time before it was appropriate for them to have sex. The entire thing was premeditated and she remembered it, now, with sadness.

After they graduated college, Kagome moved out of the shrine and into her apartment. She'd been sure that upon graduation, they'd move in together. To her surprise, Sesshomaru had made it clear that he'd be helping her move into her _own place. _She didn't bring up the topic of moving in together, she figured it would take him time to get used to the idea. Kagome noticed in the two years after graduating, that Sesshomaru became even more distant and cold, though she'd never thought it was possible.

She'd been spending the past two years working for Toga, Sesshomaru's father and on her time off, she'd been developing a business plan. Two weeks ago, she'd prepared her business plan and showed it to Toga and he'd nearly howled in delight at her determination. Her idea was for a consulting firm that could work side by side with Taisho inc. and advise clients on where to invest their money. Taisho inc. was a multibillion-dollar corporation that could help her achieve her dreams of running her own company. Toga had agreed to her terms and had been helping her to work out the kinks and make her dream a reality.

When she'd met Sesshomaru after work to tell him about it all, he'd gone into a rage. He'd been furious that she hadn't discussed it with him and he'd told her that she wouldn't be running a company once they mated and had pups. She'd been filled with rage over the idea that Sesshomaru wanted her to be a stay at home mom and not pursue her dreams. She was barely twenty-four, she had plenty of time to get her company off the ground before they had pups. Once they did, she could take time off work before returning, or finding someone to share her work load. He'd become sullen and withdrawn from her and ignored her for days. She absolutely couldn't believe that he wouldn't support her in her dreams.

That brought her to today. She was in her family home, where she was sitting on the floor flipping through old photo albums. She had hundreds of photos from the last seven years of her life, but only ten or so of them had her with Sesshomaru. She flipped through the album in search of _one _photo, just one, that showed her and Sesshomaru happy together. The only one she found was of them sitting near the sacred tree with books in their laps, nodding off to sleep. A small smile was nestled in the corners of his mouth and she was curled up against his side, sleeping blissfully. This photo was taken a few months before they'd decided to date, and she couldn't help but feel that the photo cemented her feelings.

She loved him deeply, but she knew now, that they were never meant to be more then friends. She wanted a life. She wanted to create her dream business, find a man who loved her, and have children. She wondered if it was selfish of her to want things that he obviously couldn't give her. They'd been together seven years, and he'd never mentioned anything about when they would mate. They'd only ever had sex in one position and he'd never cuddled her or held her hand in public. She wanted a normal life, filled with love, and she knew that she couldn't get it from him.

Feeling pure resolve harden her spine, she collected herself and stood, wiping a stray tear from her face. She went down stairs and kissed her mother goodbye before heading out of the shrine and to the car. Once she was in the car, she pulled out into traffic and dialed Sesshomaru's number. He didn't pick up, but she left him a message.

"Hey, this is Kagome. I'm coming to your office. Whenever you get out of your meeting, I'd like to talk."

She hung up without saying goodbye when she felt her throat tightening and heat well up behind her eyes. She steeled herself, forcing the tears back down. She would not cry before she went to him, he would know, and she'd lose her bravery. Kagome tore through town, praying she got there before he called her back. Hearing his voice might just tip her over the edge. She pulled into her parking spot and got out of her car.

As she rode the elevator up, she forced her body to exude calmness. She fought her muscles to keep from fidgeting and she schooled her face into a mask of indifference, just as he would do. As she arrived at his floor, she walked out of the elevator with every ounce of confidence she could muster. She thanked all the gods that she'd worn her heels today, it gave her an extra boost of confidence.

As she neared his assistant's desk, she spotted Kagura scrolling idly through her email. As Kagura noticed her approach, Kagome sent her the most heartfelt smile she could conjure. Kagura smiled back, but the assistant could tell something was wrong. Her demon senses were telling her that Kagome was nervous and she could smell a bit of sadness coming off of her. Kagome approached the desk and raised a brow.

"Is he in a meeting still?"

Before Kagura could answer, the doors to his office swung open and two demons that looked like they'd been thoroughly harassed, fled out and nearly sprinted to the doors. Sesshomaru walked out as well and raised a brow at her, mask still in place.

"Not anymore."

He motioned for her to follow, and while she did, she let her eyes peruse over him one last time. He was the most gorgeous man, demon or human, that she'd ever seen in her life. He was at least six three with long, flowing, beautiful silver hair that was currently knotted on top of his head. Kagome stiffened at the sight, he only put it up when he was in a _very _bad mood. She let her eyes wander over his muscled framed that was adorned in Armani. His broad shoulders and perfect glutes called to her, but she tried to shake it off. She saw the sharp edge of his masculine jaw, and she wanted to run her tongue across it. Realizing where her thoughts were straying, she shook them from her head and pinned her gaze to his desk.

He sat down behind his desk and motioned for her to sit as well. She ignored the command and stood in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly at her blatant disregard of an order. She ignored him still, and finally raised her eyes to his. He nearly flinched at the emotions swirling in her eyes. Her intensity was threatening to overwhelm him and he wondered what on earth had brought her to this level of emotion.

She cleared her throat and pinned him with her gaze, "I know you're busy, so I'll just get to the point. I'm breaking up with you. We want different things, and I don't believe we are compatible any longer. A demon of your caliber should be with someone that deserves you, a demoness like you. You would have left, eventually anyway, so now is as good a time as ever."

She went silent to assess his reaction and to pull herself together. She'd heard her own voice crack during that last sentence, and she knew she could only keep it together for maybe another minute.

"This is what you want?"

Kagome almost broke under the question. No, she didn't want to leave him. She wanted him to love her, but now she knew that was impossible. As she stared him down, she saw that he still let no emotion show on his face. Her sadness was consumed in her anger and she took a threatening step toward Sesshomaru, her aura swirling with her anger.

"What I _want, _Sesshomaru is to be with someone who loves me. I want to be with someone who supports me and my dreams and doesn't just see me as a house wife! What I _want _is someone who wants to have children with me because we're in love, not just to bear the heir and carry on the damn line! _**That's what I want!**_"

She growled the last bit out loudly and she knew that Kagura had heard her. She saw as Sesshomaru sat there with a blank face, but wide eyes.

"You have never told me that."

She exhaled aggressively, "I shouldn't have to! It doesn't matter anyway, you should want to. Obviously, you don't love me, you don't want a family with me and you don't want to mate me. You just… you don't want me. So, we're done. Don't worry about breaking it to your father. I will do it."

With that she stormed out and slammed his door. She walked to the elevator with poise, but the minute the doors closed behind her, she broke into sobs.

* * *

Sesshomaru sat at his desk while unfamiliar emotions rolled through him. She'd left him. She'd said that he didn't want her. She was wrong, of course. He did want her, but he just assumed that the little human didn't want to be intimate with him, or that if he'd tried, he'd hurt her. He mulled over his thoughts and tried to pinpoint where it all went wrong.

After college, Sesshomaru had noticed that Kagome was paying more attention to her work and _business plan_ than she was to him. He'd assumed that she'd grown tired of him and he began to distance himself, pulling away from her in an effort to keep himself safe. He cared about her, obviously, or he wouldn't have stayed with her. Their relationship had been easy. He'd never had to try and he'd always have a date when he needed one. He'd noticed she'd liked physical contact with him while they were out in public, but he'd shied away from it. He didn't want anyone to think that he either couldn't control his woman, or that he was whipped.

To be honest, he had not seen this coming. Even if he had, he wouldn't have bet he'd feel the way he did now. His chest felt like it was filled with lead and his heart was throbbing painfully in his chest. He felt completely and utterly alone. He tried to shake the feeling off. She was just a woman. A human woman, at that. He couldn't help but feel that she'd ripped out his heart and walked off with it.

He considered getting back to work, but as he flipped open his laptop, searing pain shot through his heart. He sighed and slammed it closed again and gathered his things. Hanging his suit jacket over his shoulder he strode to his assistant's desk.

"I'm leaving for the day. Reschedule my appointments. I will be back in on Monday."

She tried not to let her mouth drop open, Sesshomaru _never _left before the day was over and he never rescheduled meetings. She watched as he left and got into an elevator. The moment he was out of sight, Kagura snatched up her phone and dialed Kagome's best friend, Sango. She answered almost immediately.

"Oh my gods, you'll never guess what just happened!"

She heard Sango chuckle through the line, "_What, what just happened?"_

Kagura nearly hissed into the phone, trying to keep it from nosey listeners in the office, "Kagome just broke up with Sesshomaru!"

She heard Sango inhale through the phone, "_Oh my god. Are you serious? I have to call her __**right now!**_"

Kagura heard the line click dead and she went to snoop through their face book pages, wondering if they'd already changed their status'.

* * *

Kagome was curled up in a ball on her bed in her apartment sobbing into a tub of ice cream while bad romance movies played on daytime television. She felt her heart shatter over and over again as she remembered the way he looked at her. He hadn't felt anything when she'd left, and he hadn't tried to stop her.

She broke into more heart wrenching sobs until she heard a knock at the door. Her heart stuttered in her chest until she heard Sango yelling through the door.

"Kagome it's me! Let me in right now!"

Kagome got up to let her in, knowing full well that Sango would literally break the door down if Kagome didn't allow her entry.

The door swung open and Sango took in Kagome's appearance. She was wearing baggy sweat pants and her eyes were puffy and red. Her lips were chapped and there was melted ice cream on the side of her face. Dried trails of tears were still crusted on her cheeks and Sango's heart broke at the sight of her best friend.

She pushed into the apartment and hauled her friend into her arms. She walked them to the couch and Sango saw that her pity party was in full swing. She collapsed onto the couch with Kagome in her arms and Kagome started to sob uncontrollably. Knowing that no words would soothe this ache, Sango just caressed her head and let her weep. After a while, Kagome passed out in her lap and Sango relaxed into the couch and waited for her boyfriend, Miroku, to show up with reinforcements.

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door and Sango gently rearranged Kagome and went to get it. Miroku stood outside the door with a charming smile on his face, two pizza boxes in one hand, and ice cream and soda in the other. She noticed that his pocket was bulging and she eyed him warily. He waggled his eye brows at her before chuckling.

"It's vodka. I thought that maybe Kagome would want to drown her sorrows."

Sango grimaced, "Yeah that's a great idea. Kagome always cries when she's drunk, lets add gasoline to the bonfire, shall we?"

Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she showed Miroku in. The moment he was in the living room, Kagome sat up and her eyes swiveled to the pizza boxes.

He laughed heartily, "You're a blood hound, Kagome."

She scowled at him, "I'm eating my feelings tonight. So, hand it over."

He chuckled and handed her the pizza before pulling out the bottle of vodka. Kagome eyed it with a look that almost resembled happiness, but not quite.

"Oooh, apparently I'll be drinking my feelings tonight too."

Sango groaned just as Miroku chuckled.

A few hours later, everyone was thoroughly drunk and happily scarfing down pizza. Kagome was still depressed, but she had actually laughed at one of Miroku's jokes. Just as she was showing signs of improvement, her phone pinged with an update. Drunkenly, not thinking of the consequences, she picked it up and checked it.

There on her phone was Sesshomaru's face book update. It said that he was single. She cursed her idiocy, why hadn't she turned off his automatic notifications? It pinged her every time he updated his profile or his status.

Her eyes widened as she saw the update and tears sprung to her eyes. She dropped her phone and the screen shattered upon impact with the floor. It went unnoticed by Kagome as she devolved into heart wrenching sobs. It was really over. They were really done.


	2. Chapter 2: True Friends

Hello all. Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!**

* * *

Sesshomaru walked into his apartment and dropped his keys and briefcase near the door. He made his way through his apartment slowly, noticing now how much influence she'd had in his life. There on his fridge, a photo of them at graduation together. On his table in the entrance hallway there was a photo of them together in the park which was given to him by his father. In the kitchen there were signs of her everywhere; an apron that she'd brought over and left, figurine salt and pepper shakers in the shape of inu dogs, and little flourishes that he would've never done if she hadn't suggested them. He padded slowly to the living room to see her favorite plush throw blanket resting over the back of the couch. He picked it up and smelled it, her scent still permeated it. He clutched it in tight hands and walked to the bathroom. He'd given her a drawer and a medicine cabinet to leave her things in. He looked through the items and considered throwing them away, but pain clenched around his heart and he decided to leave them for later.

Turning from the bathroom, he made his way to the bedroom. He stared at the mattress with hatred. She's the only woman that had ever been in it. He hated the thing now, he would burn it and buy a new one. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to the closet. He nearly groaned in agony when the door opened and her scent washed over him. He slowly went through her things, finding a few garments in the back that he didn't recognize. He raised his brow as he pulled out a dress that was shoved toward the back of the closet. It was a short little black dress and his mouth watered as he imagined her in it. He could see it as if she was still in front of him.

Her long beautiful legs would be there for him to peruse and the black fabric would hug her perfectly rounded ass. The plunging neckline would have showcased her lovely breasts without revealing too much.

He groaned and tried to free his head of the images. He shoved the dress back into the closet and kept looking. At the very back he found something that made his mouth drop. He had never imagined she'd wear something like it. As he pulled it out, the lace felt like silk in his hands. It was a sort of cardigan but it was made of sheer lace and was entirely see through. He groaned as he imagined her in it and nothing else. He had the sudden urge to shred the garment. He tossed it back in the closet without hanging it back up. He slammed the closet doors and stalked out of the room and into the kitchen. He draped her blanket across his shoulders and went to the liquor cabinet. He dug through it until he found a bottle of expensive demon tequila in the back. He smirked at it and grabbed it. His hand went for the cabinet before he stopped and tilted his head in thought.

_Fuck it_, he thought has he popped the top off and started drinking straight from the bottle. He walked to the couch and plopped down before turning on the T.V. He flipped through the channels until he found that there were crappy romance movies on day time television. He considered it, she loved those movies. His chest ached as he thought about her and to appease the ache, he turned on the wretched romance movie.

Three movies in and _sufficiently _sloshed, Sesshomaru picked up his phone to see that his father was calling. He scowled drunkenly at it. He considered sending it to voicemail, but he knew his father would continue to call if he did. He frowned at the phone before picking it up.

"Sesshomaru here", he slurred into the phone.

Across town, Toga frowned at his phone, "Son, are you feeling well? I heard from your assistant today that you rescheduled some meetings and went home early."

Sesshomaru frowned, "S-sure I am. Cannta man take a damn day off onceina while?"

Toga chuckled, but a bad feeling kept nagging at him, "Have you talked to Kagome? She's not answering her phone?"

Sesshomaru whimpered at the name, "She hasn't told you? Well, you'll be the firss to know, she dumped me. Now, I'm going to finish this bottle of tequila and finish the Notebook. Goodnight father."

Sesshomaru hung up and then navigated to his face book page with a frown on his face. He went to his settings and to his relationship status. Fighting through a whirlwind of pain in his chest, he changed his status to single.

When Toga heard the line click dead and he stared at his phone with a maelstrom of emotions rolling through him. Toga could tell that his son was hammered and apparently _Kagome _had broken up with_ Sesshomaru._ He was shocked that it hadn't been the other way around. He'd seen how his son had distanced himself from her and he'd saw how much it'd hurt Kagome. He wondered why she'd done it now, and when she'd come to tell him. Sesshomaru seemed sure that Kagome would have been the one to tell him, so he expected her to call sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Toga dialed her again, still concerned about why she wasn't answering her phone.

…

Sesshomaru sat up until nearly two, drinking from the bottle periodically. He couldn't feel his face and he wondered if a demon could die from alcohol poisoning. He sat in utter defeat as another movie came on. He scowled as he realized it was The Bodyguard. Pain seized at his chest as he remembered how much Kagome loved the movie. He sighed miserably, she was gone. He'd spend tonight wallowing and tomorrow he'd go back to his life.

**You really think that will work? You're such an idiot. Don't you realize how bad you've fucked up?**

Sesshomaru stiffened as he realized that his beast was chastising him. He growled and tried to put his mental barrier back up between them. To his surprise, he was far too drunk to have control over anything, including his beast. He grumbled and took another swig before answering.

_She's just a woman. In a few days I'll be fine._

He heard his beast laugh at him. It made his hackles rise and he scowled.

**You really are dense, she's supposed to be our true mate. Now that you've pushed her away, our life will be nothing but agony. We'll see her everywhere and never be able to have her. She'll fill our dreams and the pain alone might kill us. Every time you think of her, you'll go through excruciating pain, and there's no one to blame but yourself. On top of that, you're an idiot. You're in love with her and we both know it. Why have you been pushing her away?**

Sesshomaru stiffened at the idea that she was his true mate. If that was true, and he'd pushed her away, the rest of his life _would _be agony. True mates were eternal. You could never mate another and you'd live a life of turmoil if you didn't take your true mate. The actual event of having a true mate was few and far between. It only happened to truly powerful demons and he'd never heard of a miko being a demon's true mate.

_Are you __**certain **__that she's our true mate?_

He heard his beast growl, **Of course I'm certain, I've explained this to you before and **_**you **_**pushed her away.**

Sesshomaru gulped audibly and settled deeper into the couch as he filled his head with thoughts of her. Overwhelming, searing pain shot through his chest and he growled in acceptance. He had fucked up.

* * *

Across town, Kagome was sobbing uncontrollably while banging her head on the table relentlessly. Sango and Miroku looked at her with horror in their eyes. Miroku turned to Sango with worry in his gaze.

"I think it's time to call in the big guns."

Sango nodded and pulled out her phone. Kagome heard snippets of the phone conversation between her sobs.

"No, I don't care what you're doing! Get over here _now! _Yes, idiot she needs you!"

Ten minutes later, Kagome was still sobbing, though she'd stopped banging her head on the table and Sango and Miroku were eating ice cream and waiting for their ace card. They prayed that the similarity in appearance didn't set her off again. The doorbell rang and Sango dashed drunkenly to open it.

The moment the door was open, he barged in past Sango until he found Kagome at the table. She raised her head and when she saw him her broken weeping turned into full on heart wrenching sobs.

"Inuyasha", she cried as she raised her arms for him.

He went to her immediately and picked her up. He settled her into his lap and stroked her back in soothing circles. She tried to explain through the awful racking of her frame and strangled sobs but it was mostly gibberish. He hushed her and ran his hands down her back. She had her arms locked around his neck in a near strangle hold, clutching him against her. He kissed the top of her head and after a few minutes her sobs turned into silent tears and small sniffles. She raised her head to look into his warm golden gaze.

"I broke up with him. He didn't do anything. He just asked me 'is this what you want'. What in the _fuck _kind of reaction is that?" She nearly shouted the last part and Inuyasha narrowed his gaze and cursed.

He knew that someday his brother would break her heart, but he could never shield Kagome from something that she wanted. He knew he'd never have been able to talk her out of dating his brother, so he'd just sat and waited for this day. He hated to see her like this, she was an absolute wreck and he didn't know what he could do besides hold her and tell her it would heal eventually. He'd like to punch his brother in the mouth, though. That might make him feel better, if not Kagome.

"I don't know, Kagome. You know how he is. He doesn't like to share his feelings."

Kagome nodded sullenly and then noticed her phone on the ground. She bent to pick it up and began sobbing again when she realized it was broken.

"What else could go wrong today?"

Inuyasha sighed and lifted her into his arms bridal style. He jerked his head indicating that Sango and Miroku should follow. They all went to the couch and piled on. Inuyasha sat in the middle with Kagome in his lap and Inuyasha commandeered the remote and put on the one thing he knew would help Kagome feel better, if only for a few hours.

When she saw what he put on, a smile lit her face. She turned to him and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her and they all settled in to watch a Harry Potter marathon.

…

Kagome woke the next day feeling like a train wreck. Her heart was in shreds and she was severely hungover. Her head pounded and the light hurt her eyes. When she could finally open her eyes, she almost cried at the sight that greeted her. Sango and Miroku were asleep and cuddled together in the corner of the couch while Inuyasha and Kagome's legs were draped over them. Inuyasha was still asleep and he had her nestled close to him. She knew that he'd been out on date last night when Sango had called him, but he came anyway and stayed the night anyway. Just to make her feel better. He was the best friends a girl could have and she loved him dearly.

She lifted her hand to his ears and rubbed the little triangles gently in the way she knew he liked. She saw as his eyes blinked open slowly and he took in her appearance. She was certain she looked like hell but Inuyasha smiled and hugged her to him.

"Thank you for coming. I'm sorry I fell to pieces."

He shook his head, "Always, Kagome. You're my best friend."

She smiled with tears blurring her vision and she noticed how he twitched his nose. She raised a brow at him and a meek smile covered his face.

"No offense, Kagome, but you _reek _of vodka. Do you mind taking a shower?"

Guilt filled her heart as she remembered his sensitive nose, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'll go do that right now."

She rolled off the couch and landed on her back with a thud. Inuyasha chuckled at her and she blushed as she ran to her bathroom. A long shower was exactly what she needed. She let the hot water beat against her while it attempted to melt the ice that was trying to form its way around her heart. She let a few stray tears fall and when she was finally done, she tried to tuck her feelings away and move on. She knew it wouldn't happen in a day, but she could start trying to feel better in that moment. She stepped out of the shower and dressed.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she was surprised to find her friends in the kitchen making breakfast. She tried to smile at them, but it fell flat.

"Who needs ibuprofen?"

A chuckle escaped her as Miroku and Sango raised their hands. She nodded and went to retrieve the life restoring medicine. As she returned, she noticed that Sango and Miroku both reeked of vodka.

"The showers open. I have clothes that will fit both of you, so please don't make Inuyasha and I suffer through the smell of vodka."

Miroku chuckled and herded Sango toward the bathroom. Inuyasha leveled her with a thankful gaze and she patted his shoulder.

"Thank you, I didn't realize that you were _all _white girl wasted last night."

She nodded and he chuckled. He finished cooking and put pancakes, bacon and eggs on her plate and handed it to her. She thanked him and sat down with his own plate.

"What are you going to do today", he asked with concern written in all of his features.

She sighed, "I'm going to see your father. Then I'm going to buy a new phone and come home and finish that marathon. Tomorrow I'm going to work on my business plan and Monday I have meetings with your father and a few investors."

Inuyasha nodded, noting that she was trying her hardest to put her grief on the back burner. She knew that would be _impossible _when she saw Toga. He was basically her dad and he looked like an older version of Sesshomaru. At least Inuyasha had some distinct differences than his brother. He was never more thankful for the differences than when he walked into her apartment last night.

He nudged her with his elbow, "Want me to drive you? I don't have any plans until tonight."

She nodded and pushed back the tears that threatened to spill over, "Thanks Inu, that would be perfect."

…

A few hours later, Kagome found herself on Toga's doorstep. She raised her arm to knock but before she could, Inuyasha scowled at her and opened the door.

"Pop!" Inuyasha yelled it through the entrance hall and in seconds he was standing in front of Kagome with his hands holding hers.

She kept her gaze pinned to the ground while Toga led her and Inuyasha a sitting room. As Toga sat next to her on the couch, she looked up at him and burst into tears. They looked nearly identical, not counting their marks and the fact that Toga's face was more mature then Sesshomaru's. She sobbed quietly as Toga pulled her into his arms and ran his arm over her back in the exact same way Inuyasha had the night before. After a few minutes, Kagome's sobs quieted and she looked up to Toga.

"I'm sorry, papa. He doesn't love me. I can't mate and marry someone who doesn't want me. You should hear how he talks about us having children. He approaches it like a damn business transaction! He expects me to quit my job and give up my dream to raise pups!"

Inuyasha growled quietly at that statement. He'd known Kagome for years and he'd always been shocked by her tenacity and motivation to make her dreams come true. He would _never _ask her to give up her business dreams for anything, for any reason. He knew how much it meant to her, which begged the question in Inuyasha's mind, _how could Sesshomaru __**not **__know something like that about Kagome?_

The answer came clearly though, he was a selfish bastard that only thought about himself and how to continue the line with an heir. He scowled as he realized how much shit Kagome must have put up with in the last seven years.

Toga's brows raised at the two of them. Inuyasha's hostility was rising and the only smells rolling off of Kagome were heartbreak and agony. He could tell how miserable she was and it hurt his heart to see what his son had done to her.

"Kagome, how do you know he doesn't love you? Did he tell you that?"

She shook her head, "No but I know he doesn't. I can tell. He doesn't hold my hand, he's never told me he loves me and every conversation we have is like a bank transaction. He's not even remotely interested in anything I do. I know this is hard for everyone to accept, but we're just not meant to be together."

Toga wanted to tell her how terribly wrong she was, they were _literally _created to be together, and he knew that. Toga had seen how infatuated Sesshomaru was with Kagome when they were younger. Sesshomaru's beast would surface when she was near and he'd once seen Sesshomaru drawing her in a sketch book. When Sesshomaru was fifteen, Toga had been walking through the house and had heard voices around the corner. He'd eaves dropped and realized that Sesshomaru was having a conversation with his beast. He was about to walk away and leave him be when a term had caught his attention.

Sesshomaru had said, "You think Kagome's my true mate? I don't even know what a true mate is!"

Toga's ears had perked up at that and he'd gotten closer to listen better.

After some silence, Sesshomaru spoke up again, "Actually that makes sense, maybe she is my true mate."

Toga had practically skipped away and had started to plot and scheme that day over how to get them together.

The odd part was, as soon as Sesshomaru _had _Kagome, he didn't seem to want her anymore. He'd become withdrawn and uninterested. He'd nearly isolated her from him and she'd obviously been suffering for years.

Toga sighed, "You should talk to him. Tell him all of this. Tell him how you feel and give him a chance to be honest with you."

Kagome blanched and wrenched away from him, "Absolutely not. I'm not ready, and besides I know what he'll say. He'll say I was just convenient and he'll either be angry with me or he'll be cold toward me. I can't handle that anymore!"

She pulled herself off the couch and ran toward the door. She wrenched it open and ran for the front door, tears rolling down her face. She made it halfway down the driveway before Inuyasha caught up with her. He picked her up bridal style and let her cry into his chest as he carried her to the car. He drove her home and when they got to her apartment she curled up on the couch and cried into his chest for hours.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Review and let me know how you feel about my new story.**

**Thanks again.**

**-KJ**


	3. Chapter 3: Meetings

Hello all. Here's the next chapter!

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!_

* * *

Kagome spent Sunday going from one extreme to the next. She allowed herself to cry and wallow in her self-pity for a few hours in the morning before getting to work on her business plan. After a few hours, she felt darkness starting to eat at her heart again. She turned her computer off and settled into the couch to watch T.V. and ended up crying again when the titanic came on. An hour in to the movie, she realized that she still didn't have a cell phone. Getting off the couch, she grabbed her home phone and dialed Inuyasha's number. He picked up after the second ring.

"_Kags? Is this your home number? You almost never use this number."_

Kagome's heart warmed a fraction of a degree at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Yeah it's me. Are you busy today? I have to get a new phone and thought you'd maybe want to go with me."

She heard him chuckle, "_I was wondering why you hadn't texted me back, I'd totally forgotten about your demolished phone. Yeah sure, pick you up in an hour?"_

"Sounds good. Bye Yasha!"

Hanging up the phone, she ran to the bathroom and took a shower. Just as she was finished getting dressed, there was a knock on her door. As she raced to grab her broken phone and purse, the knocking turned into banging.

"Hurry up wench, we aint got all day!"

She cracked a small grin at Inuyasha's impatience. He was always this way. Pulling the door open, she yelped as he fell through the doorway and landed on top of her.

"Damn woman, warn a man!"

She chuckled as he pulled her off the ground. She herded him out of the apartment and turned to lock her door. They walked down to his car and when they climbed into the car, his death metal turned on at ear piercing volume. She yelped and threw her hand to the dash to turn it down. Her ears were still ringing as he started the car and pulled out, chuckling the entire time.

She scowled at him, "How do you listen to that stuff up so loud? Isn't your hearing super sensitive?"

He cracked a smile at her, "Of course it is, but I have little flaps in my ears that can protect them from loud sounds if I know they're coming."

She cocked her head sideways at him and he chuckled at her. They made their way through traffic going well over the speed limit until they pulled into the mall parking lot.

She frowned at him, "You drive like a car thief."

He grinned at her as he got out and opened her door. The two went into the mall and an hour later they came out and Kagome was armed with a new phone. She had switched her contacts and noticed a handful of texts from Inuyasha that made her laugh. He had truly forgotten about her maimed phone.

As they headed back to the car, Kagome's stomach growled angrily. She looked up to Inuyasha sheepishly.

"Food?"

He nodded, "I'll pay, but only if we get ramen. You know I love ramen."

She nodded and chuckled as they sped off toward Inuyasha's favorite ramen spot.

* * *

Monday came too soon for Kagome, and anxiety filled her as she got dressed for work. She'd spent the rest of the day working on her business plan while Inuyasha had sat on her couch eating her ice cream. He'd asked her a few times if she wanted to talk about Sesshomaru, but she'd just shook her head and went back to working on her presentation. Now that she was going to present her business plan to some of Taisho's partners, she was nearly consumed by her nerves. She knew that she had a solid business layout and that her ideas would fit in seamlessly with how Toga ran his company, but that didn't save her from the anxiety over presenting in front of high profile billionaires.

Kagome's mind hadn't even touched Sesshomaru since she'd woken up, she had bigger fish to fry this morning. As she made her coffee and went over the portfolios she'd printed for the meeting, she heard her phone ding. She picked it up and saw that Inuyasha had texted her. The first real smile she'd had in days lit up her face.

**I: You've got this. Kaggy. Go kick some ass.**

**K: Thank you so much Inu! I needed that. It's like six in the morning, why are you awake?**

**I: Couldn't forget to tell my best friend good luck, now could I?**

**K: You're still drunk from last night aren't you?**

**I: HOW DID YOU KNOW?**

She chuckled at her phone. Inuyasha always had the bad habit of frequenting bars on Sunday nights because they sold discounted alcohol. Apparently he'd been stood up on a date and had drank his sorrows away at the bar. She felt bad for him and would have met him at the bar and joined him in the pity party, but she knew she had her meeting today, a meeting that she absolutely could not afford to screw up.

She gathered up her materials and made sure to double check that she had everything. Once she was ready, she strode from her apartment and to her car with determination. She drove the few minutes to Taisho Inc. and parked in her usual spot. She rode the elevator up to Toga's floor and went into the empty conference room. After setting up her things, she went to Toga's office to chat with him before the meeting. She was surprised to find that his things were there, but he was not. She tilted her head in confusion before deciding she'd just wait to talk to him until after the meeting.

She pulled out her phone to see that the meeting was due to start in five minutes. She made her way back to the conference room and as she was about to go in, her phone started beeping repeatedly. She pulled it out to silence it and saw that Inuyasha had sent her a long text. She opened it to skim it over but her heart stopped as soon as she read the first few lines.

**I: MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Sesshomaru's going to be in your meeting this morning! JUST found out from pops. SQUARE YOUR SHOULDERS and kick this meeting in the ass Kags! You just….**

Kagome stopped reading after that and took a moment to calm her heart rate and steady her breathing. Once she had her body under control, she straightened her spine and looked ahead with the most professional expression she could muster. She'd just pretend he wasn't there and speak to all the other partners. With that, she walked straight into the conference room with as much confidence as she could conjure.

* * *

The day was proving to be hellish and it was only six in the morning. He'd planned on going in to work at seven thirty, as usual, but was woken up to the annoying sound of his phone going off. He growled at it and checked to see who it was. It was his father, notifying him that there was an emergent partners meeting at seven and he was to be present or there would be hell to pay. He groaned and responded that he'd be there without delay. Within fifteen minutes he was showered and dressed and heading to his car. He was at work by six thirty and had just sat down behind his desk when his father had barged in. Sesshomaru fought the urge to groan in agitation. He leveled his father with a bored gaze and Toga snarled at him.

"What did you do?"

"I do not know what you're referring to, father."

Toga growled at him and pinned him with a glare, "You know damn well that I'm talking about Kagome."

Despite his efforts, a small whine escaped his throat at her name. Toga heard it immediately and Sesshomaru could smell the pride rolling off him.

"I knew it. I _knew it! _You love her. Why must you both torture yourselves and be so stubborn?"

Sesshomaru's gaze narrowed, "I did not say that I loved her. You have been insinuating it for years."

Toga's agitation grew and it was pressing down on Sesshomaru uncomfortably.

"Don't you lie to me, pup. She has been crying for days. And I heard the whine! You're just as miserable as she is!"

Sesshomaru averted his gaze and scowled, refusing to justify his nonsense with any sort of response. Toga's growl became deeper and more menacing and Sesshomaru felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up at the sound of his angry alpha. His gaze flitted to see his father glaring at him with red tinged eyes.

"We are going to that meeting. And you will keep your mouth shut and show her the respect she deserves."

Sesshomaru tilted his head at his father in confusion until his meaning kicked him in the teeth. Sesshomaru tried to sound bored but his words came out as a hiss.

"She will be in this meeting?"

A wry grin covered Toga's face, "Yes, she's what this partner meeting is all about. You missed the email since you left early Friday. She's presenting her business plan to the partners and they'll decide whether or not they want to endorse her. I've already agreed and told her I would cover everything but she thought that would be nepotism. Since you're a partner in this company you _will _be attending and as my son you _will show Kagome the respect she deserves._"

Sesshomaru pushed down the pain coming from his sudden throbbing heart. He sent a manufactured scowl at his father.

"I will be fine. This is a trivial matter and will not take much energy on my part."

Toga scoffed at his son before walking out of his office with Sesshomaru following close behind. As they neared the conference room, Sesshomaru stiffened when Kagome's scent wafted into his nose. He fought down the whimper that was trying to escape his lips. He grit his teeth and followed his father through the door only to find that this room was permeated in her scent. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. The next hour was going to be complete agony.

He'd just sat down and taken notice of the portfolio on the desk when he heard the doors open. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. Her scent, fresh and clean, wafted into his nose. He nearly groaned as it intoxicated him and pain lanced through his chest. He kept it together, barely, and raised his head to find her standing at the head of the room looking like she as the one who owned this company and not his father. He raised a brow at her and noticed that she hadn't even noticed him. She was greeting the partners one by one and as she approached him, he waited to see her reaction on baited breath.

"Sesshomaru Sama, a pleasure to see you again."

And that was it. She moved on to his father with a huge smile directed at him and then continued to the end of the table. Sesshomaru was fighting every one of his muscles that were telling him to throttle her. She'd just brushed passed him like he was anyone else. He wanted to stare at her with his mouth gaping, but he resisted. The pain in his chest was growing the more she ignored him.

The next hour would have been complete torture if not for the fact that Kagome was a complete genius and had worked the room like a professional. She had laid out her ingenious plan and executed her presentation with exact precision. Sesshomaru sat in his chair in complete awe of her.

_Where the hell has she been hiding this all these years?_

_**She hasn't been hiding it, you were too dense to notice.**_

He scowled slightly at his beast and his father elbowed him in the ribs, thinking that he was scowling at Kagome. After she was finished with her presentation, she left the room to allow them time to discuss their decision. The other partners began speaking to each other and Toga turned to Sesshomaru with a scowl on his face.

"I was _not _scowling at her. My beast wouldn't get out of my head", Sesshomaru said in hushed tones before he realized how pathetic it sounded.

Toga raised a brow at him and then turned to the other partners, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. Toga cleared his throat and the others turned to him and the room fell silent

"I think you all see what a benefit Ms. Higurashi would be to this company. I'm advising that you all accept her proposal before she goes to another competitor and they start stealing our clients out from underneath us."

The board members were all nodding and Toga turned to his son.

"What do you think, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru fought the urge to raise a brow and spoke in a deadpan voice, "I agree. She will be an asset to this company."

All of the board members stared at him with wide eyes and his father had a knowing grin on his face. Sesshomaru almost never agreed with his father and even when he did, he rarely spoke out in these meetings, deeming them not worth his time. They called Kagome back in and told her they were willing to accept her offer and Toga offered to help her personally with ironing out the kinks. Sesshomaru watched as she withheld a squeal of excitement, but as she looked over at him, the happiness in her eyes died and it was replaced with agony. He glanced away immediately. That one glance had sent waves of excruciating pain through him.

As Kagome exited the room, one of the younger partners caught up to her and engaged her in conversation. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the man as he placed his hand on Kagome's back. It wasn't placed low enough to be deemed inappropriate but the idea of anyone touching her sent fury through his body.

Toga, sensing his son's barely concealed fury, watched on with glee. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and a growl was threatening to tear from his throat. He pushed it down, she was not his any longer. Despite the knowledge that she had left him, he still felt the stab of jealousy in his heart. His eyes widened as he realized the emotion. He hadn't felt jealousy in nearly seven years. The last time he had, a wolf boy had been pestering Kagome into going on a date with him, and she'd nearly said yes. The memory tore through his heart, sending shockwaves of pain and anger through him.

Sesshomaru was torn out of his thoughts as his father placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Go talk to her."

"Absolutely not."

Sesshomaru looked around the room, stunned when he realized the room had been empty for some time.

Toga sighed heavily and sat down again, "You realize that she'll get over it eventually and she'll start going on dates. Sooner or later, someone's going to catch her eye and someone else will have their hands on her. She'll fall in love and get married and-", he broke off as Sesshomaru let out a feral growl.

"Enough!"

With that, he rose from his chair and stalked out of the conference room. He prowled to the elevator, eyes cast downward in frustration. All the while, not noticing the pair of oceanic orbs that followed his every movement.

He rode down in silence, stewing in his frustration. When he reached his floor, the cubicles filled with his employees all fell silent as his frigid yoki settled over them. He was in a foul mood today, and they knew immediately they'd be avoiding him as much as possible. He stalked to his office and slammed the door before collapsing into his chair and dropping his head into his hands.

He heard stomping outside of his door, heading in his direction. He sat up straight and leveled a glare at the door as Inuyasha burst into the room. The smell of alcohol assaulted his superior senses and he fought back the urge to retch. The hanyou was pickled drunk and smelt like he'd bathed in sake.

Sesshomaru quirked and eyebrow at the belligerent hanyou and was surprised when he didn't stop, but he walked around to his side of the desk and grabbed him by the collar. Inuyasha brought his face down to Sesshomaru's, mere inches apart.

"Don't even consider going near her. You haven't seen what a mess she's been these past few days. I don't give a flying fuck if pop wants you two together. Stay away from her. She's been hurt enough."

Being released from his momentary surprise, Sesshomaru reached out and snatched Inuyasha's wrist, effectively releasing himself from the hanyou's grasp. He wound the arm behind Inuyasha's back and held him hostage there.

"While you and I have certainly grown closer these past few years, and while I do, on _occasion, _enjoy your company, do not for a single moment assume that those facts mean I will not separate your head from your shoulders. Do not touch me, and do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do."

With that, he released Inuyasha and sat back in his chair. Before Inuyasha could respond, a cool yoki flowed over them from the doorway. Sesshomaru groaned as he recognized it. Inuyasha's face grew soft as he smiled toward the doorway.

"Now really, I leave you two alone for a few weeks and you're already at each other's throats?"

Inuyasha sent the man a huge grin before approaching and giving him a pat on the back.

"Kurama, you slick bastard, how did you get in here? And why are you in your fox form?"

Kurama notched a brow at him and turned to Sesshomaru, "I can always get in. Your father has left standing orders to allow me in. I am in this form because this is a building filled to the brim with youkai and I will present myself accordingly."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the man while Sesshomaru sat in silence, glaring daggers at Kurama.

"Inuyasha, we'll catch up later, for now, I've got business to attend to."

Inuyasha nodded and patted him on the back before sending Sesshomaru a glare and walking out. Sesshomaru knew why he was here. He wanted to check on him, talk to him about _her_.

Sesshomaru leveled a full on glare at Kurama, "I do not wish to speak on the matter."

Kurama, being a fox youkai, was wise and cunning. He knew what had transpired, though Sesshomaru wasn't sure how he'd found out. The demon was Sesshomaru's oldest and best friend, and he understood him far better than anyone else did. Sesshomaru didn't like it. Kurama could read him like a book.

Sesshomaru surveyed him with an assessing glance. He was in his youkai form. He was tall and his skin was alabaster and he had golden eyes similar to Sesshomaru's. He had little silver triangle ears poking out through his long silver hair. He wore a perfectly tailored suit and stood with an air of confidence and his yoki roamed freely through the room. Had Sesshomaru not been a daiyoukai, he was sure the aura would be stifling.

"I see you are well."

Kurama nodded before moving to take the seat across from Sesshomaru, "Yes, my vacation was lovely, but that is not why I'm here, so let us skip the pleasantries. Your father has recommended my services to her. I am supposed to meet with her today and see if I can be of any help to her growing company. Obviously, I don't want to infringe upon your territory or step on any toes."

Sesshomaru's gaze turned to steel and his yoki spread through the room and the temperature of his office dropped a few degrees. He would not put it past his friend to try and poach Kagome, especially now that Sesshomaru no longer had claim over her.

"Do as you wish. I hold no opinions over her any longer."

Kurama cocked a brow and chuckled darkly, "Your father was right. Well, then I will be heading off to my meeting. If you change your mind about wanting to talk about it, you know how to get a hold of me."

Sesshomaru scowled and waved his hand toward his friend, indicating his dismissal. Kurama let his yoki approach Sesshomaru's aggressively before grinning and leaving the office without a word. Kurama never let Sesshomaru talk to him like a subordinate. He always knew when to push back and make it apparent that they were nearly equal in power, though, technically Kurama had hundreds of years of life over the daiyoukai.

Sesshomaru settled back into his chair and tried to focus on his work, but his mind kept wandering to Kagome and Kurama's meeting. His eyes narrowed as he imagined her explaining everything to the youkai with her bubbly nature and big smile. He'd then flirt with her and she'd blush from head to toe. Drowning in the mental images, he growled in agony.

_**What are you going to do about this?**_

_We have to do something, anything to make this better. Before I lose my sanity._

* * *

**Hey everyone! As always, I hope you enjoyed. I'll be working on the next chapter of Heated Betrayal for the rest of the night.**

**Thank you for reading, feel free to comment or review.**

**-Love KJ**


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friends and Bad Decisions

Hello all. Here's the next chapter!

**_Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!_**

* * *

Kagome sat in the conference room, deep in her thoughts. She was elated at how well the presentation had gone, despite the uncomfortable surprise of Sesshomaru's presence. Once she knew he was there, she just pretended he was any other board member that needed to be convinced of her business plan and avoided eye contact. She tactfully ignored him, something he probably wasn't used to, especially from her. She sighed heavily as the opposing emotions fought for purchase in her heart.

She was thrilled to have succeeded in gaining Taisho Inc. as her business associate. She'd effectively made her dream a reality with that one meeting and she'd worked her ass off to get to this point and she was proud of everything she'd put into it. Part of her, though, was still in pieces, shattered from heart break. Her pride and strength, however, were having none of her hearts mopey bullshit. She didn't need him to make this day wonderful, she had done all of this hard work on her own and she had earned it on her own. With a sad smile, she straightened her spine and straightened her papers, preparing for her next meeting.

Toga had told her he knew just the right man to help her get her company off the ground. He was a family friend, great with numbers, and one of the most cunning demons that he knew. He'd given her the file on him and she noticed that he was a particularly cute man with reddish pink hair. She wondered if it was real, or if he dyed it. She knew that if he was a demon, it was probably real. She'd searched through the file until she'd come upon the last page and there was another picture attached with a sticky note stuck to it. Before looking at the picture, she read the note.

_Kagome, Kurama might show up in this form._

_Do not be surprised if he does. He comes and goes as he sees fit._

_I would not ask him about his separate forms, if I were you._

_If he wants to explain it to you, he will._

_-Lord Toga_

Kagome rolled her eyes before removing the sticky note to study the picture. She gasped a bit at the sight of his 'other form', as Toga had called it. He was a stunning fox demon with flowing silver hair and piercing light gold eyes. His eyes didn't hold the sharp, honeyed nature that Sesshomaru's had, and they were lighter than his. His jaw was angular and he had little silver triangular ears atop his head. She knew that fox demons, or kitsune, often had little ears on their heads, and that it didn't mean he was a hanyou, but she wondered over how he could have _two _forms if he _wasn't _a hanyou.

Her thoughts scattered as an icy yoki flowed into the room and over her feet. Without thought, she pushed back against it with her reiki. She felt it recoil immediately and she raised her head to see the stunning silver fox demon standing in the door way. She snapped the file closed and smiled at him professionally.

"Sorry for retaliating, you startled me."

A sly grin lifted his lips, "Not to worry, I was not expecting such a response, but that is not to say that it wasn't a pleasant surprise."

He bowed politely and Kagome returned the gesture. She gestured to the seat across from her and instead he sat himself in the adjacent seat. She stifled the urge to raise her brow and she pulled her aura into herself to calm herself and mask her nervous scent. She noticed that he held similar characteristics to _her _Sesshomaru; that is, the Sesshomaru he was before he grew cold and distant. He tilted his head in curiosity and had a small grin at the corner of his mouth that some would mistake as a scowl, though she knew the difference. She also noticed the twitch of his nose and ears, as he attempted to familiarize himself with her sounds and scent. Sesshomaru did that often as well.

As she catalogued the similarities, she felt lead begin to weigh on her heart and she sought to distract herself from it.

"Sorry if I seem surprised, I wasn't expecting you in this form."

His eyes narrowed slightly before his face relaxed as he noticed no deceit or hatred in her scent. He quirked a brow at her and before her eyes, his body shimmered and his other form was there in front of her. She relaxed a bit as his silver hair disappeared and a beautiful rose-colored mane was in its place. His new face was softer and had a boyish sort of handsomeness to it. Kagome also noted that his oppressive yoki melted away. She understood immediately why he came into this snake pit in his bad ass yoki form.

She smiled at him softly, "Well, I'm sure Toga told you, I'm Kagome Higurashi and I am in desperate need of your assistance."

He chuckled softly, "I am Kurama, and I am here to help you, if I'm able."

He sent her a dazzling grin and Kagome blushed, though more embarrassed then flattered. She hadn't flirted in years, literally _years._

She'd assumed that either Sesshomaru was immune to it, or she was bad at it. She'd decided on the latter and stopped trying. Shaking her thoughts from her head, she launched into her presentation, though she dug into the nitty gritty details and the financial aspect of the business heavily, due to Kurama's ability to traverse numbers, statistics, probability and potential risk areas. The conversation was refreshing. He asked questions and never interrupted. He seemed highly interested in her every word and made suggestions here and there that made immense differences in her calculations of costs and deficits. She was pleasantly surprised at how good of a listener he was. As she drew to a close, she noticed that he was sitting closer to her then when she'd started. She slowly leaned away from him, so as not to offend him, but enough to get her personal space back.

Kurama was _very _impressed by Sesshomaru's miko. She was smart, beautiful, smelled _divine, _was an intelligent speaker, had managed to be forward without being offensive, and was genuinely kind. He wanted to smack Sesshomaru upside the head, but he figured he'd play with his friend's feelings for a while. Hopefully the idiot would come to realize what a moron he was being and would do something to get her back. He noticed that, while she appreciated his fox youkai form, she grew sad at the sight of him, which he knew was due to the similar physical characteristics between him and Sesshomaru. He'd also noticed that she did not flirt back, and that when he moved into her personal space, she politely moved away from him.

He smirked internally, she was nowhere near over his friend. He did not expect her to be, she was human, and they held on to their emotions rather tightly. She did, however show loyalty to Sesshomaru even after they were separated; she wouldn't let him in her personal space. He'd noticed that she'd allowed Toga in her personal space earlier in the morning when he'd stopped to see the old dog. She didn't mind when it was someone like a father to her, but she minded when it was a full-blooded male.

He considered what it would take to send Sesshomaru over the edge and get him to make a move to take his woman back. He tilted his head as he considered it.

He noticed that she'd gone silent and turned to her with a mischievous grin, "Are you planning a party for your hard opening day?"

She shook her head, "I don't have a date for a hard opening."

He tilted his head and did the calculations, "If you're willing to work around the clock, and if Toga gives us everything we need, and granted we can hire people on short notice, we should be able to open in three months."

He internally grimaced at the idea of Sesshomaru waiting _three _months to get his woman back, the idiot could get himself into _serious _trouble in that amount of time.

His gaze panned to Kagome's and he saw it was lit with excitement, "Three months? You really think so?"

He nodded and snatched a piece of paper from the center of the table and scratched out a long list.

"Today is Monday, if you can complete everything on the list by Friday, and also put out an advertisement for employees by then, then I know we can do this in three months. I'll leave my number. If you have any questions, or if you need _anything,_ just call or text me. I will work on organizing the financial situations and I will email you and report back anything I find that may help or hinder us. On Friday we should have a meeting and discuss our contracts with each other."  
She had confusion on her face and he chuckled, "The questions stands, will I be working _for you, _or _with you_ as a partner?"

She looked pensive and he chuckled again, "I'll let you think about it. If you want to draw up a contract, talk to Toga and he can hook you up with a lawyer and we can go over them on Friday."

She nodded and he stood to leave but she stopped him, "Wait, don't you want your copy of the information?"

He looked at her, puzzled and she chuckled, "I made you your own portfolio. Here, take it, it's got everything you'll need and all of the notes you suggested."

He looked at her with surprise in his gaze, _she is very intelligent._ _I can see why he loves her._

"Wonderful. Congratulations, by the way. I heard that you made a spectacular presentation this morning."

She smiled sheepishly, "Thank you, I appreciate it. I will see you Friday. My number is in the portfolio if you have any questions regarding the portfolios content."

He grinned at her unspoken meaning and bowed before leaving. _Oh Sesshomaru, my friend, _he thought as transformed into his fox youkai form than walked toward Toga's office with a wolfish grin on his face, _you are in for a shit storm of fun._

…

Kagome groaned into the table top. It was almost eight at night and she was still in the conference room working. She had plowed through nearly half of the list Kurama had given her, hell bent on getting it done early to prove she could do this right. In her haste, she hadn't eaten or taken breaks and now her eyes were drooping and her stomach was growling ferociously. She wanted to put up the advertisement for hiring new employees tonight but she didn't think she could do it without falling asleep at the table.

A knock on the door had her raising her head. A beaming smile graced her face as she saw it was Toga and Inuyasha with a heap of takeout food in their arms. She groaned in ecstasy as its scent wafted into her nose.

"Oh, sweet kami's tell me that's beef pad thai and gyoza?"

A grin lifted Inuyasha's lips and he nodded. She groaned.

"I love you. I love you, I LOVE YOU. Thank you so much."  
Toga chuckled at her excitement and they set the food out. It barely touched the table before Kagome snatched up her food and started demolishing it. The two males watched her with barely concealed amusement and she ignored them, she was too hungry to care if she was being lady like.

"So, papa, I had a favor that I was hoping to dump in your lap. I am looking for a space to set up my offices and I am trying to find one before Friday and have it locked down. Would you be able to help me out?"

He grinned at her, "Already done, my dear. I knew you'd want somewhere close, and as it happens, the building across the street is for sale and I know the owner. I called him this afternoon and he offered it to me at a low price. I already made a meeting to buy it."

He watched as her gratitude turned sour and knew why she was getting mad and tried to nip it in the bud, "I am fully aware that you would like to pay for it, so I will sell it to you after your company has been running for six months. This way, I get to micromanage and you get to have your office space at a lower price."

Her brows rose and she knew he was placating her, but he had done her an _immense _favor, so she decided she'd let this one slide.

"That isn't just an _office space, _papa. It's a freaking sky scraper!"

He grinned at her, "Well, at the very least, you'll be starting off in style."

She giggled at him and noticed that Inuyasha had a smile on his face. He was thrilled that she looked alive today, not half dead as she had been the few days leading up to now.

The trio ate and conversed lightly and when they were finished, Kagome looked at the clock and groaned. She started to pack her things up and Toga and Inuyasha assisted her. Once all of her things were packed up, they all walked to the elevator.

"Kaggy, do you want me to drive you home? I can stay the night if you want?"

She smiled at him, "I appreciate it, but I'm so tired that I'll just crawl to the shower then go to bed. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow."

The smiled at her and she missed the small frown of disappointment on Inuyasha's face. As they walked to their cars, Toga pulled her into a hug.

"Don't work too hard. Make sure you eat and get some sleep, little one."

She smiled and nodded before getting into her car and driving home. The drive was short and her mind was filled with thoughts over how to complete the rest of her list in the next four days. She made a list and formed a plan mentally until she'd gotten into the shower. Once the hot water poured over her, her mind took a left turn and the stress of the day and the emotions she'd been holding back over seeing Sesshomaru caught her all at once. She burst into wracking sobs and sat in the bottom of the shower for thirty minutes, letting the water wash over her. Once she was cried out, she stood and cleaned herself robotically before getting out and crawling into bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, Kagome was asleep.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Sesshomaru multi tasked. He let most of his brain work, for hours on end, while a piece in the back tried to formulate a way to either get over Kagome, or get her back. He was almost certain that he would be miserable without her, but he had no idea of how to change himself in order to get back into her good graces.

He moved through the day mindlessly, not looking at anyone or talking, just sitting at his computer and working on his current business venture. After a while, he noticed that the sky had grown dark and the office was nearly silent. He looked to the clock to see that it was nearly seven thirty.

He sighed and was about to gather his things when his father strolled in unannounced. Sesshomaru settled back into his chair and looked at his father with a bored gaze.

"I was wondering if you'd still be here. You should try to control that yoki of yours, it gives your emotions away."

Sesshomaru scowled at his father and realized that he was right. He pulled his aura in and let himself look bored again.

"Did you need something?"

"Not in particular. I was just checking up on you; seeing how you were faring."

Sesshomaru scowled at Toga again and his father sighed.

"You don't have to talk to me, just listen. I know that you and Kagome were meant for each other, and I know this separation is hurting you, though you'd die before admitting it. I also know that she's burying her feelings in her work and that sooner or later she'll be so busy, she won't have time to think about you. That girl is the best thing that has ever happened to you and you need to get your head out of your ass before someone else realizes what a treasure she is. I know for a fact that Kurama took a liking to her."

Toga watched Sesshomaru's face carefully, and nothing changed except for one raised eyebrow. Toga sighed again.

"Go home, get some rest."

With that, he turned and left Sesshomaru to his thoughts. Sesshomaru felt belligerence and denial rise up in his head and his beast fought to overcome them, trying to reason with him. He felt like going out and doing something reckless without thought or care for anyone else. His beast was trying to communicate to him, but he was blocking him out. With a grim smile, he grabbed his jacket and made for the door.

Before he reached the parking lot, he got a text from and old family acquaintance, Mayu. He scowled at it, at first. He'd never really liked the demoness. She was a gold digger, only looking for someone to keep her in her comfortable lifestyle. He knew that she'd probably seen his change in relationship status and was trying to pin him down now. He re-read the text, wondering what she wanted specifically.

**M: Hey, old friend. I'm going downtown for some drinks, want to come with me?**

He considered his options; he could either go home and stew over his mistakes, or he could go out with a decent looking youkai and have a few drinks. A twinge of pain went through his chest as he considered going out with anyone that wasn't Kagome. He tilted his head at the thought, he'd never actually taken her out to bars or clubs. He shook his head before he could wonder why that was, and texted Mayu back before he could change his mind.

**S: When and where?**

She responded almost instantly.

**M: Black dragon, fifteen minutes.**

**S: I'll be there.**

With that he pocketed his phone and got into his car. He pulled his tie off and tossed it into the backseat before undoing his top two buttons. Pulling out of the parking garage, he made his way through town. His mind was humming and he was blocking out his beast and focusing on his work plans for tomorrow. His beast was struggling, throwing himself against his cage and growling at him, but he ignored it.

Pulling into a parking garage down town, he called his retainer. He answered and began squalling into the phone. Sesshomaru growled and he went silent.

"Pick my car up from down town. I will call later for a ride."

With that, he hung up the phone on his still squawking servant and got out of the car. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw it was Mayu announcing her arrival. He dropped his phone into his pocket without responding and walked out onto the sidewalk. He saw her and approached and she smiled at him and it made him want to scoff with disgust. He'd never choose her as a mate, but he could use her to assuage his churning emotions for one night.

"It's good to see you, it's been quite a while", she said with a wicked gleam in her eye.

He kept a bored face, "Hn."

She chuckled and they walked toward the bar. It was close and he wanted to groan when he saw reporters outside of the doors. He made an impulse decision, one he'd regret tomorrow. He put his arm around Mayu's shoulders and pulled her in closer to him before pushing through the crowd and posing occasionally for pictures. Once they were inside, their night started in earnest.

Some of Mayu's friends had joined them and he spent the next several hours drinking himself into a stupor with demon made tequila. He checked his watch at some point and realized that it was almost one in the morning. Without a good bye, he stood and made his way to the exit. Before he could leave, someone caught at his sleeve. He turned and Mayu pushed herself against him drunkenly.

"Where are you going?"

He sneered at her and pushed her away, "Home."

She chuckled and stood on her toes, leaning toward him, "Alone?"

He growled, "Yes. Alone."

She huffed and he turned on his heel and left the bar while dialing his retainer.

He picked up quickly, "My Lord?"

"Pick me up, now. I'm at the black dragon."

"I am already here, my lord."

He huffed and hung up. He raised his head to see his car parked down the block and walked toward it as steadily as possible, noting that there weren't any more paparazzi to see him if he stumbled. He climbed into the passenger seat and flicked on the air.

"How did you know where I was, Jakken?"

Jakken, his retainer, looked sheepish before handing him a tablet that was pulled up to the tabloids website. He only had to look at it for a second before he realized just how fucked he was. He groaned and pulled out his phone. As expected, he had multiple calls and texts from his father, his mother, and Inuyasha. He sighed and looked through the pictures that the paparazzi had posted online. There were at least twenty. They consisted of him with his arm around Mayu and him sitting near her in a booth with multiple demonesses sitting around him, fawning over him. He groaned and realized exactly how it looked. He checked the title of the article and growled. It read: **Playboy Prince and Billionaire out with his Harem after a Recent Breakup.**

His heart squeezed in his chest as he imagined Kagome waking up to see it in the morning. He groaned again, this time in pain as regret held his heart in a vicelike grip. The rebellious side of Sesshomaru's brain was fighting with his beast, which was free from its confines.

_Who cares what father thinks? We do not need that woman._

**_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!_**

Sesshomaru growled and shook his head as thoughts and emotions whirled through him with the help of the alcohol. He raised his head to find he was in front of his apartment building. He got out and went to his apartment, noticing that his phone was ringing. He ignored it until it rang again. He cocked his head as the ringtone registered in his alcohol addled brain. The ringtone was the musical piece Clare de Lune. He snatched his phone out of his pocket and stared at it with wide eyes. It was Kagome. He gulped and tried to decide whether or not to answer it.

* * *

_**Sorry, you know I love a good cliff hanger. Until next time. Next chapter should be out soon.**_

_**As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review.**_

_**Love, KJ**_


	5. Chapter 5: Phone Calls and Brothers

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!_

_**Hey guys. I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, my life has been CRAZY. I hope you guys are still reading. I encourage you all to leave comments and reviews, the constructive criticism helps me enhance my writing, which in turns enhances your enjoyment as a reader!**_

**_As always, I hope you enjoy,_**

**_-KJ_**

* * *

Kagome had gone to bed almost immediately when she'd gotten home. Around one, she woke to the sound of her phone going off next to her head. She groaned angrily and cracked an eye open to see Inuyasha texting her repeatedly. She groaned and stuffed her face back into the mattress. Her phone dinged again and she growled and picked it up and dialed him. He picked up immediately and his voice sounded surprised.

"_Kagome, what are you doing up this late?"  
_"Are you joking, Inuyasha? How in the hell am I supposed to sleep with you blowing up my phone?"

He chuckled nervously, he knew that you never, _ever _woke Kagome up before she was ready. Well, only unless you wanted to die, of course.

"_I'm so sorry, I didn't think I'd wake you. I just wanted to tell you not to get online tomorrow, or look at a newspaper. Actually, it's best that you just keep your head in your work stuff tomorrow."_

She narrowed her eyes at the screen and shook her head.

"Are you stoned? Did you go out for drinks or something? What on earth could make you so insane? I'm just gonna look now and spare you the excuses."

She heard him calling out to her, telling her not to, but she navigated her way to a browser and pulled up a tabloid site. She gasped and tears sprung to her eyes when she saw it. She clicked the pictures and her first emotion was anger, she was absolutely furious. But as she zoomed in and looked at his face, she saw his emotions painted there like a mural. He was miserable. His eyes were dull and the corners of his mouth were pulled down. He was practically death glaring the women in the photos and even in the one with the woman, where he had his arm across her shoulders, he looked so uncomfortable that she wanted to laugh. He was not happy, that was obvious to her, he looked like shit. She frowned as she wondered why on earth he'd go out and do something like that.

She narrowed her eyes as she recognized the girl, Mayu. Sesshomaru _hated _her. He literally couldn't even be in the same room as her for more than an hour before he wanted to kill her. Kagome had wanted to slap the demoness on more than one occasion as well. Curiosity raged through her like wildfire.

She picked her phone back up and put it next to her ear.

"_Kags, are you okay?"_

Surprisingly, she was. She was just confused and a little angry, to be honest.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I think I'm going to call him."

Inuyasha shouted through the phone, "_WHAT? Kagome, are you sure?"_

"Yeah, I mean did you see his face, Inuyasha? He looks miserable. I'm gonna go, I'll call you tomorrow. I love you, bud!"

With that she hung up and Inuyasha stared at his phone in confusion. He pulled the photos back up and zoomed in on his brothers face. _Shit, she's right. Poor bastard looks miserable._

He tilted his head and thought about how he'd approached his brother this morning. Guilt filled him as he realized how much of a dick he'd been. Kagome was one of his best friends, but Sesshomaru was _pack _and was his brother. He groaned as he realized he was a complete idiot and he'd have to apologize. He grumbled to himself as he grabbed his keys and trudged to his car.

* * *

Sesshomaru stared at his phone with obvious panic. Not only was Kagome calling him, but he was drunk and he had those god-awful pictures all over the internet. He groaned at his stupidity. Straightening his spine, he accepted the call.

"Hello?"

Silence spread between them. Finally, she spoke.

"_Hi."_

The sound of her soft, melodic voice sent shivers down his spine and made warmth spread through his chest.

"Hi, Kagome."

He smiled softly and felt some of the pain leave his chest, she didn't sound angry. She sounded concerned, if anything.

"_Are you okay?"_

Nerves collected in his chest, "That is a difficult question to answer."

Kagome smiled into the phone, that was just like him.

"_Why is that a difficult question?"_

His smile widened slightly as he heard the smile in her voice.

"Were you asking if I am physically fine, or mentally?"

She heard the slight slur in his voice and could tell he was absolutely drunk.

"_Both, Sesshomaru."_

He whimpered at the sound of his name on her lips and she heard it and her heart clenched in her chest.

"Physically, I am in adequate condition, beside the fact that I am drunk."

She giggled and the sound made his heart soar.

"_Okay, what about mentally?"_

He held back another whimper, "I do not know."

He went for truth, seeing as he'd already made so many mistakes.

She frowned into the phone, "_Okay, that's fair. Can I ask you a question, Sesshomaru?"  
_He whimpered again softly at his name, "Yes."

"_Why did you do it? Tonight, I mean, why did you go out with her? You hate her, I know you do."_

He smirked at the fact that she knew he hated Mayu.

"I needed… distraction."

He prayed she leaved it there, but he knew better. She'd question him until his ears bled if she wanted to know something.

"_What did you need distraction from_?"

He opened his door and went inside before dropping his things and collapsing on the couch. He'd been honest so far, he couldn't quit now.

"From you", it came out as a whisper, but she'd heard it.

He heard her inhale sharply and he waited for what she would say.

"_Are you….", _she broke off and his curiosity flared to life

"Am I what, Kagome?"

She wanted to whimper when he said her name.

"_Did you go home alone?"_

He wanted to scoff, but he didn't because he realized it was a perfectly valid question after seeing those photos.

"Yes. I am home, and I am alone."

She heard the stress he put on the last word and she frowned. It bothered him that he was all alone, she could tell. It was obvious to her that he was offended by her insinuation that he'd taken someone home with it.  
"_It didn't have to be this way, you know_."

His heart clenched painfully in his chest, "I know. But I don't…", he trailed off as he considered his words.

"_Don't what?"_

"I don't know how to change, and I don't know how to give you what you want."

Tears flooded her eyes and streamed down her face as she considered his words. She hadn't heard him sound so sincere in years and she felt her heart clench painfully. He wanted to give her what she wanted and he wanted to change for her. That's how she'd interpreted it, anyhow. A warning bell was ringing in her head, telling her not to get her hopes up, telling her to not open her heart back up to him so easily.

"_Sesshomaru, what do you want?"_

He laughed mirthlessly for a while and Kagome thought he'd momentarily lost his mind before he finally stopped and started to ramble.

"What do I want? What do I want; that is a great question. Ask anyone and they'll all give you different answers. As for me, who the hell knows what-", he broke off as he heard knocking on his door.

"Damn it, hold on someone is at my door."

Kagome giggled at his rambling, he _never _rambled, he was the silver-tongued king of precision. She presumed that his current state was due to his drunkenness but it was cute none the less.

Sesshomaru pushed off his couch and walked on unsteady feet to the door before wrenching it open to find his half-brother standing in his doorway looking guilty.

An uncharacteristic smile spread across his face as he waved Inuyasha in. Inuyasha tilted his head in confusion eyes wide as he saw the rare smile on his brothers face. He followed Sesshomaru in and fell into one of the chairs across from the couch that Sesshomaru had slumped onto.

"Anyway, Kagome where were we?"

Inuyasha's brows shot through the roof and he looked ready to vomit up a hundred questions but Sesshomaru held a finger up in a silencing gesture and Inuyasha grimaced and settled back into his seat.

"_Honestly, I don't remember."_

"Ah yes, you asked me what I wanted. Ironic, I thought it was quite obvious."

Kagome furrowed her brow in confusion, "_It's not obvious to me."_

Inuyasha chuckled, "Then she is the _only _one who doesn't see it."

Sesshomaru growled at him and he quieted down.

_"Was that Inuyasha?"_

"Ah, yes. It seems he's dropped by to talk."

"_Never mind that. What am I missing that's so obvious to everyone else?"_

Inuyasha chuckled again and Sesshomaru pinned him with a glare

"Why don't you guess. What is the one thing I want that I don't currently have?"

Kagome growled through the phone, "_Are we playing games? Fine. Let's see; you could have any business you wanted. You have enough money to buy anything you can possibly want and any woman would gladly be with you."_

"Hn. Any woman?"

Sesshomaru lifted his gaze to find Inuyasha watching him with rapt attention and his silver ears were twitching and at attention. Inuyasha saw the pain that was lingering in Sesshomaru's eyes and he wondered how he'd missed it earlier.

The two men heard Kagome's gasp through the phone and Sesshomaru could hear her swallow nervously.

"_Is that what this is about, Sesshomaru? Is this about me? You're going out and making a fool of yourself because of me? Because I left? Why do you care? You haven't cared for years! What are you trying to say, that now you want me?"_

Sesshomaru clamped his eyes shut tightly. His head was buzzing and he was trying to find the right thing to say, the truth. He opened his eyes to find Inuyasha staring at him intent in his gaze. His facial expression practically screamed: tell her the truth, tell her you love her idiot!

Sesshomaru waved his hand at Inuyasha, requesting privacy. He rolled his eyes at him and went to the kitchen. When Sesshomaru was sure he was mostly out of earshot, he let the words fall from his mouth.

"I have always wanted you. I didn't realize how much until you left. I have been attempting to fill the void and keep the pain away since then."

Kagome's mind spun radically as she digested his confession. Anger started to simmer in her veins.

"_So, what, now that I'm gone, you're just letting me know that I'm the one you want? That's bull shit, Sesshomaru!"_

A pained and angry growl escaped his throat, "I _never _said that I didn't want you! You think I would have stay for seven years if I didn't want you? You're the one that left, Kagome. Not me."

Sesshomaru looked up to see Inuyasha standing in front of him shaking his head vigorously and drawing a line across his throat with his finger. Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side in confusion but he understood Inuyasha's meaning too late.

"_I left for a reason, Sesshomaru", _her voice was dangerously soft and even and he knew that meant she was angry.

_"What do you expect of me? Do you want me to give up my dreams? I want a family and I want to get my business off the ground! I want a man that believes in me and loves me. You can't give me those things!"_

Another angry growl tore from his throat, "How would you know, you didn't even let me try!"

With that, he threw his phone at the wall and it shattered. Closing his eyes, Sesshomaru leaned back into the couch and whimpered. He ran his hands over his face and let out a deep sigh before letting his eyes fall open again.

He stiffened as he realized Inuyasha was still there, standing in front of him with his eyes as round as saucers.

He double blinked at Sesshomaru, "Well fuck."

He stalked off into the kitchen before returning with a bottle of some sort of clear liquid. Inuyasha thrust it into his hands and joined him on the couch. Sesshomaru took a long swig of the mystery alcohol and squeezed his eyes shut as it burned his throat. Swallowing the strong liquor, he passed the bottle back to Inuyasha who took a long pull of the drink.

"Listen, I know your relationship with Kagome isn't my business. You're my brother, and she's my friend, and I shouldn't have been such a dick this morning. You're pack and I'm always going to be here. If you want my help with Kagome, you just have to ask. Just, please, don't hurt her. She's been going through hell without you."

Sesshomaru turned to look at his brother, surprise evident on his face. They'd reconciled a few years ago after their father and Kagome had pushed them to settle their differences. Sesshomaru had realized that Inuyasha only acted like a brat because he was treated that way and if you didn't harass him, he was tolerable to be around. He'd also come to terms with the fact of Inuyasha's birth. Inuyasha didn't force their father to cheat on Sesshomaru's mother with Izayoi, and he shouldn't be held accountable for that. He'd tried to redirect his anger toward his father, but Kagome had gently urged him to forget, if he couldn't forgive.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had bonded over the odd family environment that they'd had to endure and the immense responsibility that had been hefted on their shoulders. They hadn't tested their new-found sense of pack yet, but Sesshomaru got the feeling that this was Inuyasha's way of standing by his brother and pack mate. He found that he was pleasantly surprised by this revelation.

"I need your help", he forced it out between gritted teeth, "I don't know how to talk to her. I don't know how to tell her what I really mean. She's just so damn stubborn and she hasn't given me the opportunity to explain anything. She has been challenging me at every turn for the last few weeks, even in my head."

Inuyasha chuckled, "Of course she has, she's an alpha female. She's not built to be bossed around."  
Sesshomaru quirked a brow at him, "She didn't start acting like an alpha female until a few weeks ago. Why is that?"

Inuyasha snorted, "Yeah, in front of you. Everyone else knows she is. Why do you think dad loves her so much? She doesn't take shit from anyone, she never did, except for you. Now, though, she's not going to let you boss her around anymore. If you want her back, you're going to have to start treating her like the queen she is."

"Huh", he muttered as he sat back and lapsed into thought.

The ringing of a phone brought him out of his reveries. He lifted a brow and watched as Inuyasha paled and answered it.

"Kags, hey. You're still up?"

_"Obviously. What happened? Did he hang up on me?"_

Inuyasha laughed nervously, "No. He threw his phone and it broke. Do you want to talk to him?"

"_Hmm. I don't know."_

Sesshomaru frowned.

"_Actually, yes. Put him on the phone."_

Sesshomaru gulped audibly and accepted the phone from Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry about throwing the phone."

Kagome blinked rapidly. Sesshomaru almost never apologized.  
"_Do you want a second chance?"_

Sesshomaru double blinked and stared at Inuyasha with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Yes."

_"I will consider it, but if you want it, you'll have to earn it."_

Sesshomaru stared blankly at the phone; she'd hung up on him. He lifted his eyes to Inuyasha's to find him smiling.

"She agreed to give you another chance. Now we just have to find a way to earn it, then make sure you don't fuck it up!"

Sesshomaru scoffed, "She hung up on me. She's never done that before."  
"I told you, she's an alpha female whom is no longer humoring you. You have to earn her trust back now."

Sesshomaru frowned and Inuyasha broke into laughter, "Here, let's finish this bottle then you go to bed and we'll brain storm in the morning. Can I sleep on your couch?"

Sesshomaru grunted an affirmative around a large swig of booze before passing off the bottle to Inuyasha. Twenty minutes later, the two were lazily drunk and had finished the bottle. Sesshomaru was sprawled across the couch and Inuyasha was laying upside down with his feet over the back of the couch and his head dangling off the cushion.

"You know you're an idiot, right? Kagome's great. I know at least five dudes who would leap at the chance to take her out. I heard Koga already asked her out on a date."

Sesshomaru sat up abruptly, "He what? That mangey wolf dare impede on my territory? I'll rip his arms off…", he trailed off nervously, "What did she say?"

"Honestly, I think she told him they couldn't go on a date but that he could help her move her stuff."

"Wait, what? She's moving?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily, "Yeah, she's moving. She was pissed that you didn't ask her to move in with you and doesn't want to stay in her apartment because it reminds her of you. She's going to start looking for a new place tomorrow."

"And she told Koga that he could help her move?"

"Yep. I told you, you're an idiot."

"God, I have been for the last two weeks at least."

Inuyasha scoffed, "More like for the last seven years. You had the girl of your dreams, and you neglected her until she left for greener pastures."

Sesshomaru grumbled angrily, "Thanks for that."

* * *

_**I apologize for taking so long. I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter. I will be updating again, hopefully, soon.**_

_**Love,**_

_**KJ**_


	6. Chapter 6: Alpha

_I hope you all enjoy._

_-KJ_

**_Disclaimer: _I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!**

* * *

The next day only brought confusion for Kagome. She'd managed to put off thinking about the phone call long enough to fall asleep, but the moment she woke up, thoughts of Sesshomaru and their phone call inundated her consciousness. She couldn't understand why he'd changed his mind, and why he hadn't stopped her from walking out in the first place. She vividly remembered his pained whine when she'd spoken his name. She felt the same urge when he'd spoken her name, like she wanted to burst into tears, like her name belonged on his lips. She was still angry with him, and confused.

It had been quite a long time since she'd seen him truly angry, and almost never at her. Last night, however he'd gotten so angry he'd thrown and broken his phone; something she'd never expect of him. His words still echoed in her ears '_you never even let me try'._ She considered whether there was truth in that or not. She considered the fact that she never had mentioned moving forward in their relationship, but she also felt that if he were truly in love with her and wanted to be with her, he would want to and she wouldn't need to put those ideas in his head. She also thought over the discussion they'd had in his office. She actually hadn't given him any time to dispute her, or fight her, short of offering him the option to chase her down in his own work place. She sighed. She wasn't giving in. Not this easily, and not after one phone call where he was clearly drunk. She needed to be sure that he was serious before she even considered giving him another chance. If she gave in now and he was just trying to reclaim what he'd lost through his ego and male pride, she'd get crushed even further then she already was. Her heart still ached from their break up. She sat for a while, thinking about just exactly how she would go about finding out whether or not he was serious.

With a small smirk, she whipped out her new phone and called Inuyasha.

* * *

The two brothers woke up with splitting headaches and in various states of disorder. Inuyasha was shirtless and draped upside down over Sesshomaru's arm chair. Sesshomaru was fully dressed and disheveled, lying face down on the couch with one arm and one leg dangling toward the floor. Toga wasn't certain he'd ever seen _both _of his sons looking such a mess at the same time, and _together, _no less. Toga had heard Inuyasha's snores from down the walkway before even getting close to the door. Despite the situation that brought him here, Toga's heart was full at the sight of his sons bonding and getting along well enough to be comfortable sleeping so unguarded in the same room together. He surveyed the two men and worry crept into his heart. He'd felt the uneasiness in his son, Sesshomaru, last night and felt the pain he was in through their pack bond. He knew that Sesshomaru was beginning to feel the effects of the neglect of a true mate, and he wondered how long his son could last. He'd come to soothe an irate Sesshomaru and to educate him on what a true mate is and what would happen if he didn't get back together with Kagome. He raised a brow in humor, he hadn't expected to find his two sons belligerently hung over.

Sesshomaru got the distinct feeling that someone was looking at him and it woke him from his drunken slumber. The moment his eyes opened piercing bright light filtered in and he growled as his head pounded. He heard a similar grumbling from Inuyasha and also a light chuckling that had him blinking again. He found his father standing in the middle of the room looking positively smug. Sesshomaru rolled to a sitting position and covered his sensitive eyes with his hands while he rubbed his temples with his thumbs.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this early, father?"

Toga chuckled again, "I came to assist in the 'get Kagome back' efforts, but it seems you enlisted Inuyasha before I had the chance to arrive."

Sesshomaru grimaced, "So far his contribution has been to tell me I'm an idiot and get me drunk."

Inuyasha grimaced, "That's not fair. You were already pretty sloshed when I got here. "

Toga nodded and added, "And he's correct. You're an idiot."

Sesshomaru frowned deeper, "I'm aware. Could we move this conversation into a productive territory rather than re-hash what we all already know?"

Pain was building in Sesshomaru's chest that was equal to the level of guilt he was feeling. The pain trickled down the pack bond until Toga and Inuyasha could feel a small ache in their chests too. Inuyasha's brows rose.

"Now, what the _fuck _is that?" Inuyasha groused at them.

Toga frowned slightly, "That is the repercussion of separating from a true mate. Sesshomaru's pain is probably ten times what you're feeling right now."

Sesshomaru frowned, he'd forgotten they could feel when he was in intense pain through the pack bond. He hadn't even thought about it because they'd never had to use it before. Inuyasha frowned and fought the urge to do something stupid like hug his irate brother. He rubbed a clawed hand over to sore spot on his chest.

"The guiltier I feel, the worse the pain is", Sesshomaru mumbled.

Toga nodded, "The longer you're apart, the worse it will get."

Sesshomaru stared at the floor, avoiding their gazes, "I don't think I'll survive it."

His father nodded solemnly, "None ever has. True mates are exceedingly rare, but if it is denied once you've found each other, then it usually kills one or both of the pair. Seeing as how Kagome is technically human, she's not at risk."

Sesshomaru sighed quietly in relief. At least he didn't have to carry around the guilt that he was hurting her again.

He shook his head, "Neither of you can tell her of this. If she finds out, she's likely to come back solely because she feels bad. I will not tolerate pity."

Inuyasha's gaze rolled heavenward and Toga sighed.

"Fine, I won't say anything to her, but we've got to come up with something before you die and before she gets swept up by someone else."

Sesshomaru barely had the heart to let out a soft growl. The pain was increasing and he was focusing on keeping a shutter over their pack bond so they wouldn't be able to tell how much he was suffering.

Inuyasha grimaced, "Stop tugging on the bond. It feels weird."

At Inuyasha's words, Sesshomaru was finally able to throw up a decent wall, blocking his pain from them. He stretched a bit and looked over their concern filled faces. He changed the subject, steering away from the topic entirely.

"I think we need a plan. I have the basics, but I may need assistance on execution."

Inuyasha nodded, "I'll be ready whenever. You got a timeline for this plan of yours?"

Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side, "I'm hoping to converge the plan fully by the time she officially opens her business."

Toga nodded, "We're going to have a massive party for her anyway. I'd plan on that being the night it all comes to a head."

Sesshomaru was nodding when he heard Inuyasha's phone start vibrating. His eyes narrowed as Inuyasha's face became wracked with guilt.

"Okay, to be clear, what _can _I tell her? She's like a human lie detector and she'll know if I'm withholding on her."

Sesshomaru nodded, "She won't ask about me, so as long as you don't spill that we have a plan, then it shouldn't be an issue."

Inuyasha nodded, rose and picked up the phone while walking toward the kitchen.

"What's up Kags?"

Sesshomaru grumbled slightly, jealous that she wasn't calling him. He looked around for his phone and spotted it broken in pieces on the floor. He groaned and sunk back into the couch. He'd have to add buying a new phone to his growing list of things to accomplish today.

Inuyasha came running back in to the room and was wildly gesticulating at his phone. Sesshomaru assumed that meant Kagome was asking him questions that he knew he couldn't lie about. Sesshomaru mimed hanging up the phone and Inuyasha paled. Kagome would murder him if he hung up on her. Toga sighed heavily and snatched the phone from his youngest son's hand.

"Kagome, darling. Shouldn't you be getting ready for work and preparing for another big day working with Kurama?"

Sesshomaru's attention was immediately torn away from Inuyasha, who had been swearing up a blue streak at almost being caught on the very first day of their planning.

His gaze narrowed and he focused his ears onto the conversation.

_"Papa, I _am_ getting ready. There is such a thing as speaker phone."_

He chuckled at her, "Of course dear. Could I help you with anything this morning? Inuyasha is hung over and has fallen back asleep."

Sesshomaru turned his head to find Inuyasha sprawled across the couch again, asleep. He rolled his eyes; this was not the time to be sleeping.

He heard Kagome grumble through the phone, "_Fine, maybe you could tell me what I want to know. I want to know if you think Sesshomaru is serious about getting back together with me or if he just wants me back because I'm no longer available."_  
Sesshomaru's eyes filled with sadness and Toga fought off a flinch at the pain that filled his chest.

His face softened as he walked to the kitchen for some privacy, "Kagome, that boy of mine loves you beyond reason. It is of my opinion that he has been under the misconception that you never wanted the relationship in the first place. I know that is not the case, however that is how he felt. I also believe that he's an idiot that didn't know what he had until it smacked him in the face on the way out of the door. He knows he's an idiot, and is upset over hurting you; much to my surprise."

He stopped when he heard sniffles coming through the phone. Damn, he'd said too much; now she was crying.

Suddenly the sounds of crying stopped and he heard her growl then take in a sharp, deep breath.

"Well tough shit. If he wants me to even consider giving him a second chance, he will have to earn it."

And with that, she hung up on Toga Taisho. Toga stared at the phone, blinking rapidly.

Sesshomaru walked in and surveyed his father's face.

"She hang up on you too?"

Toga nodded, mouth still dangling open. She'd never hung up on him before or cursed within his hearing, and it sounded as if she'd hung up on Sesshomaru recently too. A sudden, vicious grin lit up his face as he realized what this meant and a husky chuckle spilled out of his throat. Sesshomaru frowned at him.

"What's that face for?"

Face alight with glee, Toga chuckled and patted Sesshomaru on his shoulder, "That my dear boy is the look of a proud father who has just witnessed his soon to be daughter grow into her alpha personality, and take shit from no one. You, my son, have a lot of work to do before she will even give you a hint of hope."

With a chuckle, Toga walked out, leaving Sesshomaru to stew in his plan for redemption.


End file.
